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Tulips bollards to 'protect cyclists and bring joy'

Leigh Milner
BBC News
BBC The colourful new tulips bollards lining a bike lane in Sussex Gardens with a cyclist riding in the bike lane and a car on the road outside of the bike laneBBC
The new tulips bollards have been put in place in Sussex Gardens, Westminster

Colourful tulip-shaped bollards have sprung up in central London in a bid to separate traffic from cyclists while adding a splash of colour.

The bollards made from recycled plastic have been installed to line bike lanes in Sussex Gardens, Westminster.

Inspired by the poppies at the Tower of London and the sunflower field scene in the Tour de France, it is hoped they will be more visible to drivers.

"The idea was to protect cyclists, but also to try and bring joy to the street," said Luke Tozer, director at Pitman Tozer Architects, which helped create the wands.

"We road tested it, we had trucks run over it, we had cyclists hitting into them, to check that they would survive in the urban environment."

An up-close picture of one of the tulip bollards
It is hoped the bollards will be a splash of colour as well keep cyclists safe

Designer Alex Douglas said: "I started on this back in 2022, so it's really nice to finally see it on the streets."

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by the newly appointed Lord Mayor of Westminster, Paul Dimoldenberg, the BBC's Jeremy Vine and social media sensation Sigrid, the deaf cat who explores London by bike, and her owner Travis Nelson.

A view of the cycle lane with the new bollards in place
The bollards were inspired by the poppies at the Tower of London and the sunflower field scene in the Tour de France

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